Clallam Transit operator Pete Christensen, a veteran bus operator with more than 16 years of experience at CTS, took first-place honors in the 40-foot coach division at the 2008 Washington State Bus Roadeo in Kennewick during the first week in September.

This is the annual "best of the best" competition for all transit operators statewide and it wasn’t the first time Christensen has taken top driving honors in statewide competition. He also took the first-place trophy in 1998 in the 35-foot coach division.

Sponsored by the Washington State Transit Insurance Pool in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Transportation and Washington State Transit Association, 27 transit operators from around the state competed in three vehicle-type divisions (body-on-chassis coaches, 30-foot coaches, and 40-foot coaches). The roadeo was part of the 32nd annual Public Transportation Conference.

Christensen now moves on to take the wheel in international bus roadeo competition in the spring of 2009. The annual American Public Transportation Association International Bus Roadeo will be held in early May in Seattle. Christensen will compete in the 40-foot coach division.

The state roadeo wasn’t Christensen’s first test of driving skills this year. In June, Christensen took first place in the CTS annual bus roadeo competition held in conjunction with the annual Peninsula Cup Bus Roadeo in Silverdale. Operators from Kitsap Transit in Bremerton and Jefferson Transit Authority in Port Townsend, along with the Clallam Transit System, competed for the right to represent their own systems at the state bus roadeo.